International Telecommunication Union 1 ITU Annual Regional Development Forum for Africa Promoting Equitable Access to ICTs Kigali, Rwanda May 2012 SADC Experiences in Promoting Equitable Access to ICTs Jacob Munodawafa Executive Secretary /CEO

International Telecommunication Union SADC comprises of 15 Africa Member States namely Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Angola, Mauritius, Tanzania, Lesotho, Swaziland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Seychelles, Namibia and Botswana Coordination of Regional ICT Programmes in SADC is done by Southern Africa Telecommunications Association (SATA), Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) and Southern African Postal Operators Association (SAPOA) These institutions were established through the SADC Protocol on Transport, Communications and Meteorology to support the promotion of equitable access to ICTs

International Telecommunication Union The other guiding documents are: SADC Declaration on ICT by the Heads of States in 2001 SADC Policy on making ICT a Priority in turning SADC into Information Based Economy SADC Member States recognise the importance of ICT in facilitating the regional integration agenda, and enhancing the socio-economic development prospects of the Region. It is in this context that SADC Member States agreed on the need to develop an all inclusive, balanced, and socially equitable information and knowledge- based society that is founded on co-ordinated national strategies to effectively integrate ICT into regional development policies. Other Guiding Documents

International Telecommunication Union Overall Goal The overall goal of the ICT intervention is to move beyond the current emphasis on regional and backbone infrastructure development towards addressing structural bottlenecks such as: Reinforcement of citizens' connectivity and ability to effectively use ICT, and be involved in ICT planning and national development; Development of skills at individual and institutional levels to increase ICT use and capitalise on innovative ICT applications; Strengthening of governments' capacity to develop effective policy and regulatory frameworks to create conducive environments to ensure market development and public participation in the information and knowledge-based society. Building a self-sustaining process with the positioning of the community as an effective participant in the information and knowledge-based society - i.e. transition from e-readiness to e-participation.

International Telecommunication Union Areas of Focus The areas of focus are: Creating the requisite harmonized policy environment, as well as legal and regulatory frameworks to promote ICT diffusion and use; Human resources development and institutional capacity building for rapid and effective ICT diffusion and use; and Promoting ICT applications across all sectors and improving universal access to ICT tools in order to improve efficiency and productivity.

International Telecommunication Union Strategies Policy and Regulatory Framework Assist Member States in the formulation of National ICT policies based on SADC guidelines; Promote the active participation in international ICT programmes to learn from other experiences, and consolidate a SADC position in this regard; Establish a SADC database on e-readiness and undertake e- participation assessments for effective strategy formulation and knowledge exchange Build ICT literacy and awareness including commitment to the development of conducive policy environments and legal and regulatory frameworks for the knowledge-based economy.

International Telecommunication Union Strategies (cont) Human Resource Development & Institutional Capacity Building Creation of knowledge society focal points and research/training networks - networks of excellence - which will provide expertise, lead in the development of national programs and act as a continuous resource for the development of the SADC knowledge society and knowledge based economy; Support key ICT research institutions, universities and other educational institutions through cheaper and faster internet access and partnerships with more advanced counterparts; Develop strategies which promote mass e-literacy and create a self-sustaining culture of ICT use and development; Develop strategies and actions that ensure the diffusion and use of ICT in service delivery at all levels of social and economic development. Implement high level training programmes for SADC policymakers and regulators. This will include training for trainers programs in ICT in partnership with the private sector.

International Telecommunication Union Strategies (cont) Sectoral ICT Applications Promote the use of ICT across all sectors as a tool to increase efficiency and productivity. Some critical areas where ICT is required are: Applications to support e-education - ICT applications for formal education (primary and secondary) and tertiary education Applications to support e-health - ICT applications for preventive and curative Health Applications to support development and promotion of Tourism - ICT applications to promote regional cultural, heritage and tourism growth and development Applications to support development in Agriculture - ICT Applications for poverty alleviation through Agriculture and Fishing Applications to support e-commerce - increase the region's small and medium sized firms' participation in global trade by exploiting the opportunities offered through the development of electronic commerce. Applications to support e-government - The application of ICT in the public sector must go through a process of re-engineering to ensure that existing inefficiencies are eliminated and the citizens' interest are the focal point.

International Telecommunication Union Policy Harmonisation and Infrastructure/Services Projects Through the ITU HIPSSA Activity SA-2.2, SADC reviewed and updated the SADC Guidelines on Universal Access and Service (UA/S) and a new SADC Toolkit on Best Practices using Universal Access and Service Funds (UA/S) Funds was developed and is being used by the Member States. Implementation of seamless regional roaming for both prepaid and postpaid services is being implemented On infrastructure development, the region is implementing the SADC Region Information Infrastructure (SRII) for interconnecting the member states with broadband optic fibre and to submarine cable landing stations. This project is being implemented in phases. The first Phase was for the implementation of optic fibre transmission highways and the current second Phase is for the migration to all IP Networks.

International Telecommunication Union Policy Harmonisation and Infrastructure/Services Projects Almost all the SADC Member States have completed implementing Optical Fibre Backbones covering the respective countries and to the borders and these are connected to the SRII. The SRII takes into account the ITU Connectivity Africa Summit Goals which were adopted to reinforce the need to accelerate the implementation of the WSIS targets. These being: Goal 1: Interconnect all African capitals and major cities with ICT broadband infrastructure and strengthen connectivity to the rest of the world by Goal 2: Connect African villages to broadband ICT services by 2015 and implement shared access initiatives such as community tele- centres and village phones.

International Telecommunication Union SADC Master Plan 2012* Through the SADC Master Plan currently being developed, a draft structure of the Digital SADC 2027 was developed containing Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation as the foundation pillar and five pillars namely; Infrastructure, Knowledge and Content, E-Services, Research and Innovation, Industry Development and Manufacturing.

International Telecommunication Union It is the regional association only in Africa representing operators and service and solutions providers not only from SADC but also from other countries of the world participating as associates. The Southern Africa Telecommunication Association based in Mozambique, is in its 32 nd year since its establishment in 1980 by the regional community to spearhead and coordinate the development of telecommunications and ICTs infrastructure and services

International Telecommunication Union SATA activities typically centre on programmes where the industry players share knowledge on the business environment, particularly as it impacts on the industry and formulate programmes for regional infrastructure and services development. Areas of interest focus on various issues which include standardization and industry trends, new technologies, partnerships, customer services, billing, traffic, fraud, human capital development, policies & regulations advocating and lobbying. Through its activities, SATA provides a forum for innovation and best practices in support of new initiatives, latest thinking, research, and business processes.

International Telecommunication Union Jacob Munodawafa

International Telecommunication Union Thank you